


Seven Laughing Miles

by Megane



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Automotive Difficulties, Car Breakdowns, Entertaining One's Self, Humour, Impersonations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-25
Updated: 2015-03-25
Packaged: 2018-03-19 09:47:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3605610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megane/pseuds/Megane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The car is acting up, and Cid's shop is seven hot miles back the other way. They have no choice in the matter — someone has to go back and get her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seven Laughing Miles

**Author's Note:**

  * For [xSparklingRavenx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xSparklingRavenx/gifts).



> Inspired by [Seven Miles](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3481589) written here. I couldn't stop thinking about it; I think they did a really good job. So I decided to write this one from someone else's perspective.
> 
> A nice way to kick off a collection idea.

Ignis breathed out slowly through his nose as he tried the ignition for a third time. Gladiolus was leaning forward, hands cupped together and forearms on his knees. He stared at Ignis' turning wrist, watching the key turn. Too bad there wasn't so much as a noise from the engine. Prompto watched too, eyebrows knit together. He opened the passenger door with a slight grunt. 

          "I'll check under the hood!" he offered, rounding the front.

          "Fair idea," Ignis replied, reaching his hand down to grasp the latch with his fingertips.

The hood jumped open a tad. Prompto hooked his fingers under it, using his free hand to search for the release. Gladio sighed and leaned back in his seat.

          "You ever wonder how he can sleep through any of this?" he asked.

Ignis' brows went up, sights focused on Prompto. It took a second for him to realise who the bodyguard meant, and he turned around in his seat, switching his right hand to the lead position as he turned backwards. Noctis was curled up on his side, elbow nestled between the door and his body. 

          "That cannot possibly be comfortable," the glasses wearer muttered.

          Gladio shook his head slowly. "Not. At. All."

          "Hey! Go ahead and try the engine again," Prompto piped up, having gotten the hood wide open.

          "On it." Ignis corrected his posture and adjusted himself slightly in his seat. The material was incredibly warm against his back. It was reasonably uncomfortable, considering his attire. "Ready?"

          "Go for it!" Prompto jutted out his hand to the left, giving a thumbs up.

Ignis tried the ignition again, and Prompto stared intently at the engine. There was a brief splutter, giving the awake trio a brief glimmer of hope, but in the end, it was useless. The blond clicked his tongue and stepped backwards away from the car. He kicked his foot at the ground, giving a little skip when he did. Gladio moved his hands backward, gripping the seat and the door as he hoisted himself up. He placed his feet on the seat and perched on the back of the car. Ignis felt a thread of irritation navigate up his neck and down his arms. He hit the wheel with the heel of his palm and was briefly thankfully that his luck wasn't damnable enough to deploy the airbag. 

Prompto groaned and swung his hands behind his head, staring up at the partly cloudy sky as he walked in an idle circle. He didn't really know anything about cars, which is what had him so fascinated by Cidney. She knew cars; she was pretty; and she made him nervous. Well, that last one wasn't really a characteristic highlight, but it was definitely a fact just as the first and second were. Prompto leaned back, arching until he almost lost his balance. He spun around quickly and skipped a few steps forward. His mind wasn't on anything in particular at the moment. He just wondered what they were going to do next. Ignis pulled himself up from a sitting position and pressed a knee into the driver's seat. He straightened up a bit.

          "Prompto," he called, grabbing the blond's attention.

          The spindly male dropped his arms and jogged back to the passenger side. "Yeah, Ig?"

          "Okay." 

Ignis brought his hands together and looked from Prompto, to Gladio, to the sleeping prince. Good seemingly eternal night, Noctis. Prompto lifted himself up onto his tip toes, staring expectantly at Ignis.

          "The last petrol station is seven miles behind us." The bespectacled advisor turned to Gladio then Prompto. "And one of us is going to have to go back."

          "She's going to be so happy to see us," Gladiolus commented, crossing his arms.

          "Undoubtedly." Ignis pulled away a hand, motioning to Gladio.

          "Not—" Prompto started.

          "I'm going to stay here, and mull through my thoughts," Ignis stated, raising his hand up to rub his temple.

          Prompto glanced to Gladio and tried again. "Yeah, but not—"

          "And Gladio," Ignis interrupted once more, "will keep an eye on His Highness. There are fiends in this area, I fear, and I would rather plan out our best options."

          "It'll be good exercise," Gladio, to Prompto. He grinned and shrugged up his shoulders a bit. "But try not to pass out before you get there."

Prompto's verdict was decided before he had a proper chance to interject. He glanced back and forth between Ignis and Gladiolus, slapping his hands on the passenger door. Noctis made a noise but didn't completely stir. 

          "Are you  _serious?"_ Prompto balked. He frowned deeply.

          "You boast about your speed, don't you?" Ignis shifted his weight backwards.

          "Yeah, but."

          "Don't worry. We ain't sending you off without a drink," Gladio assured.

          Prompto opened his mouth: "Oh, _c'mon_. You can't send me out there. It's too hot!"

          "Ordinarily, you'd be right," Ignis agreed.

          And, perhaps mistakenly, the blond believed in his friend's mercy.

          "But if I do recall,  _someone_ killed our mobile's battery playing Chocobo Rescue Saga."

          Gladio closed his eyes, turning his head away, smoothly adding: "'m not gonna name any names here, but ah..."

That was it — KO, complete annihilation. There was no way Prompto was coming back from that. He groaned in frustration, taking a step backwards as he leaned his body forward. He kept his hands secured on the passenger door, head framed by his arms. They had appointed him as the speedy messenger, and so he decided to go along with it. Gladio fetched a bottle of water from the trunk. It wasn't boiling hot, but it was unpleasantly warm. Prompto cupped it in his hand and frowned at it. He slowly turned over, reading the label with a flat gaze. Ignis sent him off with an "Off you go", Gladio a sympathetic pat on the back. Prompto dropped his arms and rocked away.

          "I'll see you in a bit," he stated, waving with the bottle in his hand.

As he walked, he mumbled to himself. The seal on the bottle cap had been broken by now. A bit of the water drained away. Prompto held the water in his mouth, trying to get used to its uncomfortable warmth. He lifted the bottle up to his mouth, speaking into it as though it were a microphone.

          "Prompto," he started, putting on his very best fanciful accent, "I need you to run about like a loon in the sweltering heat." He flicked his hand forward. "Fetch the pretty girl and oh, do be a dear and not die on the way."

He rolled his eyes and started skipping, going to the left before zigging over to the right.

          "C'mon, it'll be fun," he gruffly added, lowering his voice and adding some grain to it. He stared at the road ahead. "You're all pasty anyway. Get some sun, Freckles. Live a lil'."

He untwisted the cap and lifted the bottle over his head, pouring it down over his hair. Blond hair matted down to his skin, and suddenly, the warm bottled water was the most comfortable thing he could have experienced right now. He sighed in relief and recapped the half empty bottle.

          "Noct is so lucky," he muttered, swinging his arms. "Sleeping through all this." He blinked as the water trailed down into his eyes. He wiped his hand over his face, flicking away the liquid. "Hope he doesn't get heat stroke," he mumbled.

He was a little more than halfway when he started praying - out loud - to the crystal. A jackal big enough to ride would be welcome. A chocobo would be preferable. Please send a chocobo. He stopped and crouched down, bracing his arms on his legs. He panted and cursed softly to himself. No chocobo was coming for him. "Bloody unfortunate," he complained with his nicest tone. He's sure Ignis would be impressed. The road started to curve upward, and Prompto groaned again. He leaned his body forward, taking longer strides as he climbed the hill. He shook his head, flicking water left and right. The brief wind he created was welcomed, but by the time he stopped, his head was swimming. He stood up at the top and stared out. Still a little bit more to go.

He continued to entertain himself, steadily getting into his impersonations as he went. He paused at one point, pressing a hand to his chest and drawing up the other. He slid over to the other side, pretending to be a new person - eyes flicking back and forth between the "other two" interlocutors.

When the petrol station came into view, Prompto beamed. He ran forward, leaning his head down, hand clenching tight on the now empty bottle of water. His footsteps were heavy as he finally started to slow down. Cid pushed herself from under a car and sat up, staring at him. He gobbled down breaths of air, trying to regain his form. His hair was wavy and limp, sticking up in funny places away from his face. Cidney gave him a once over and smirked to herself.

          "Back so soon?" she greeted, standing up from her rolling platform. "What's up, champ?"

          "Car. Trouble. Road." He pointed behind himself. "That way."

          "Ooh, so you're gonna need me to come fix it?"

          Prompto nodded, swinging his hand back to himself. "Yes. Please."

          "Gonna cost you a little extra," she continued, wandering over to a door, "since it's more of my time."

The blond nodded again, showing he understood. He could see Cid from the legs down as she crossed in front of him. He weakly turned his body but gave up soon after. He dropped his head down, fighting to breathe again.

          "No– problem." And in a rush of air, he stated, "We can pay it."

She laughed a bit and closed the door, crossing over to him.

          "Good," she responded, placing a hand on his back. "Relax. Drink this."

Prompto found it difficult to follow instructions, but he did so in the end. He stood up straight, very  _very_ slowly, and took a paper cup from her. She took the crumbled bottle from him and threw it away. Prompto gulped down the cold,  _refreshing_ water and believed in the beauty of the crystal once again. He let out a noise of relief, and Cidney placed her hands on her hips. She stared up at him and waited as he threw away the disposable cup.

          "Ready?" she asked, humour tinted in her voice.

          "Yeah!" he stated, a bit breathless but feeling wholesomely revived. 

          "Alright, let's get you back to your boys."

The ride back was wonderful. Cid asked him basic questions about the car - thankfully, he could give short answers to them. Prompto reached up and touched his throat, wincing slightly. It was starting to feel a little sore, but well, almost two hours of talking to himself in the damn heat was taking its toll. Cidney pulled up her truck, much to Ignis and Gladio's relief. The duo had set up an awning out of their tent set to take shelter under. They had moved Noctis, who was still completely knocked out. 

          "That guy could survive a behemoth stampede," Prompto grumbled to himself as he got out of the truck cab.

Ignis pulled himself away and wandered closer to Cid. He immediately took his role as financial coordinator and general overseer to their fair vehicle. Prompto was crouching by the time he approached the awning and let out a noise of relief as he fell on his ass under the shade. Gladio pat him on the shoulder and grumbled out a "Good job". The blond smiled weakly and leaned back on his hands, looking back to make sure he didn't hit Noctis in the face.

          "We should hurry to the next town and make sure he's okay," Prompto remarked, eyeing Noctis' sleeping face.

          Gladiolus let out a heavy sigh and looked back as well. "I know right. I was tellin' Ignis the same thing."

The male in question was listening to Cid and nodding his head unsurely to the various technical things she told him. He pushed up his glasses, as any gentleman would, and expertly hid his relief when the blonde clarified her automotive jargon. The bonnet snapped shut after Cidney's dexterous fixings, and Ignis turned to his companions.

          "Alright, we're ready to go!"

          "Sweet!" "Let's get outta here."

Prompto and Gladio took down the awning and wrangled Noctis respectively. Ignis cranked the engine, and by now, Noctis finally roused from his sleep. The prince shook out his arms and legs, managing to walk to the car on his own. He took his place in the back, eyes barely opened as he settled. Prompto grinned to Ignis, who gave him the barest of smiles back. C'mon, c'mon. He totally did a good job, right?

          "Where's the phone?" Noctis rasped out, rolling his head to the left. "I wanna jump ahead on Chocobo Rescue Saga."

          Prompto turned towards his friend, hooking his chin on the shoulder of his seat. "Phone's dead, buddy."

          "Ooof course it is," Noctis rolled his eyes but stretched his arms up towards the sky.

          Ignis smirked this time, side glancing to Prompto. "Of course it is."


End file.
